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Contaminated Land
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely effect on inward investment of the introduction of contaminated land registers in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The introduction of registers of contaminated land should help remove a possible source
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of uncertainty for developers and would be unlikely to have a significantly adverse effect on the very high levels of inward investment in Wales.Clinical Scientists
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to ensure the maintenance of the role and number of clinical scientists following the establishment of the hospital trusts.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : NHS trusts are required to follow Government policy on employing appropriately qualified staff in delivering health care services and the importance of clinical scientists is well recognised. It is intended that future training activity in this and other groups should be related to forecast service requirements.
Education White Paper
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received supporting his White Paper on the "Future of Education in Wales".
Sir Wyn Roberts : Some 300 responses were received on the proposals contained in the White Paper "Choice and Diversity : A New Framework for Schools" (Cm. 2021). It is not possible to break these down as requested, since many of those consulted welcomed certain of our proposals but were opposed to others.
British Aerospace
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to meet the chairman of British Aerospace.
Mr. David Hunt : I shall be meeting Mr. John Cahill, chairman of British Aerospace plc shortly.
Mencap
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the projected governmental expenditure on Mencap in Wales for the year 1992-93.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Under the all-Wales mental handicap strategy in 1992-93, £82,736 has been allocated to Mencap in Wales.
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the projected Government funding of Mencap for the year 1992-93 which is allotted to Clwyd ; and what are the figures for earlier years since funding was started.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total Government funding for Mencap in Wales in each year since such funding was started.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Under the all-Wales mental handicap strategy a total of £654,544.09 has been allocated direct to Mencap in Wales, since funding started. Details as follows :
|£
---------------------------------
1983-84 |27,038
1984-85 |46,788
1985-86 |46,961
1986-87 | 63,931.99
1987-88 | 75,220.10
1988-89 |68,554
1989-90 |81,050
1991-92 |77,655
1992-93 |82,736
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the real increase in Mencap funding since the all-Wales strategy was introduced.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : An allocation of £27,038 was first given to Mencap in Wales direct from the all-Wales mental handicap strategy in 1983- 84. Using the GDP deflator, this equates to £45,083 in 1992-93 prices. The equivalent allocation in 1992-93 is £82,736, which represents an 84 per cent. increase in real terms since 1983-84.
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of Mencap funding in Wales is supplied directly from Her Majesty's Government.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : In 1992-93, the direct allocation to Mencap in Wales from the all-Wales mental handicap strategy is £82,736. Figures for the total Mencap in Wales funding are not kept centrally.
Mental Health
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts are being taken to improve mental health facilities in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The all-Wales mental illness strategy was launched in 1989 to provide local, accessible and non-stigmatising services and so end reliance on traditional, large hospitals, many built up to 150 years ago. Health authorities, social services departments and the voluntary sector are jointly planning integrated services, with the increasing participation of service users and their carers.
Once a comprehensive pattern of services has been decided in each of the eight county-based planning units, and the costs identified, the costs will be met from a combination of local investment, reinvestment and Welsh Office funding. However, the Welsh Office is making £6.3 million available this year towards the development of new services.
Cervical Cancer
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken in Wales to ensure that women have regular check-ups for cervical cancer.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The report of the all-Wales advisory group on cervical screening was submitted to my right hon. Friend in January. After consulting those involved in the programme the report's recommendations have been adopted and guidance is in the process of being issued. A number of improvements to the co-ordination and management of the programme are proposed as well as developments aimed at increasing the number of women who accept the invitation to attend for a test, including the preparation of a common set of letters and leaflets by the Health Promotion Authority for Wales.
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Quangos
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many quasi -autonomous non-governmental bodies there are in the Principality ; what the comparable number was on (a) 1 January 1980 and (b) 1 January 1990 ; and what proposals he has for reducing the number of such bodies.
Mr. David Hunt : There are currently 21 executive non-departmental public bodies in Wales. There were 17 executive non-departmental public bodies in 1982 (the first year that this information was collected) and 19 in 1990. In addition, there are nine district health authorities and eight family health services authorities (previously known as family practitioner committees). This number has remained constant.
The Welsh Office has a policy of financial management and planning reviews. Executive non-departmental public bodies are subject to such a review every five years when the justification for the contiued existence of each of these bodies is considered.
Nursing Qualifications
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated cost in Wales of training a nurse to reach state-registered nursing qualifications.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The current cost of training a state registered nurse in Wales is estimated at £41,000.
Fluoride
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the fluoride levels in drinking water for each district health authority area in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information on drinking water quality in water supply zones is contained in "Drinking Water 1991" the second annual report by the chief inspector of the drinking water inspectorate, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. This shows that of the samples taken of water supplied for domestic purposes in Wales in 1991, only one determination exceeded the concentration for fluoride prescribed by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989 No. 1147).
Hospital Trusts
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what account is taken of party-political affiliation or membership by his Department in considering the appointment of chairmen of hospital trusts in Wales.
Extra-contractual Referrals
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each health authority in Wales the money allocated for extra-contractual referrals by (a) non-fund holding general practitioners and (b) hospital consultants.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Health authorities in Wales do not receive specific allocations for extra contractual referrals. It is for each health authority to decide the level of funding to be set aside for this purpose from within its overall
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revenue allocation in the light of local circumstances. Information relating to the planned level of spending on extra contractual referrals is given in health authorities' annual financial plans, but these budgets may be subject to revision during the course of the financial year.On the basis of the latest information available, the following table identifies the reserves which health authorities in Wales currently have set aside for extra contractual referrals :
|£ million
------------------------------------
Clwyd |1.8
East Dyfed |1.6
Gwent |1.6
Gwynedd |1.1
Mid Glamorgan |1.9
Pembrokeshire |0.8
Powys |1.0
South Glamorgan |2.0
West Glamorgan |1.6
Source of information: Latest
available in-year income and
expenditure monitoring returns from
health authorities in Wales.
Cardiff Bay Barrage
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Countryside Council for Wales regarding the Cardiff Bay Barrage Bill (a) generally, (b) concerning the proposed pumping of fresh water from the Severn tunnel into the irrigation works lagoon at Redwick, Gwent, and (c) concerning the dimensions of the lagoon ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I have discussed the relevant aspects of the Cardiff Bay barrage proposals with the chairman of the Countryside Council, and my officials are in regular contact with officers of the council on both the Bill and the proposed bird reserve on the Gwent levels. The council is represented on the steering group overseeing the feasibility study of the creation of the reserve. Design of the reserve is still under consideration ; the proposals will be published when they are complete.
Home Fire Fatalities
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the grant awarded to the Cardiff institute of higher education housing studies department in relation to the numbers of home fire fatalities.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : A grant of £27,000 has been awarded to the Cardiff institute of higher education under the Welsh Office's housing options Wales small grants scheme which will enable a fire risk and safety assessment project to be undertaken. The project aims to produce a model which can be used by public sector housing managers, in particular, to assist them in assessing the fire risks in dwellings and thus to target resources appropriately.
Valuation Tribunal Offices
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the proposal to close three valuation tribunal offices in Wales and to reduce the number of staff ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. David Hunt : I have received 33 representations in response to my consultation paper "Review of Valuation Tribunal Offices". I am considering these and I will announce my decision in due course.
Housing Revenue Account
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will announce his proposals for housing revenue account subsidy for 1993-94 ; and what proposals he will be making.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The Welsh Office is today consulting local authorities and other bodies on our proposals for the rent guidelines and management and maintenance allowances to be used in calculating next year's entitlement to housing revenue account subsidy. I shall be placing the consultation papers in the Library of the House with a list of the estimated guidelines and allowances for each authority. Our proposals are for an average guideline rent increase of £1.84 per week (a smaller cash increase than the average of £2.14 for 1992-93) with a range of increases for individual authorities from £1.25 to £2.75 per week. The new average weekly guideline rent would be £29.17. For management and maintenance, we are proposing to increase allowances by an average of £28 per annum per dwelling over the 1992-93 level.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Tourism
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to announce his review of tourism.
Mr. Brooke : The conclusions of the review are reflected in the announcement I made in the context of the autumn statement. They are as follows :
The British Tourist Authority's (BTA) role in promoting Britain abroad is an important one in an increasingly competitive environment. It is vital that BTA continues to secure the maximum possible industry contribution to its work and that it applies taxpayers' money in the most effective and efficient way. I shall expect the board to make proposals for improving its use of resources in its next corporate plan.
The case is now much less strong for central Government funding of the promotion of tourism in England. The English Tourist Board (ETB) has done a great deal over the years to raise standards, to improve access to information, and to show the industry how their products can be developed and marketed. As the industry matures, and the regional tourist boards develop, it is appropriate for other bodies to carry on many of the ETB's central activities.
However I also believe that central Government support for the regional tourist boards should continue. I believe that this support should be targeted much more closely than at present on areas of need where tourism might be an instrument of economic regeneration. The allocations of Exchequer grant for tourism which I announced in connection with my right hon. Friend's autumn statement reflect these priorities. They are as follows :
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|1993-94 |1994-95 (planned)|1995-96 (planned)
|£ million |£ million |£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Tourist Authority |32.0 |32.7 |33.5
English Tourist Board |13.9 |10.8 |9.0
S4<1> |0.3 |0.0 |0.0
<1> Residual liabilities under the S4 capital grants scheme, now wound up.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security Tribunals
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether appellants at social security tribunal hearings are able to make a tape recording of all or part of the proceedings.
Mr. Burt : The tape-recording of tribunal hearings is not normally permitted. However, in exceptional cases tape-recording may be permitted at the discretion of the tribunal chairman.
Invalidity Benefit
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for the future level and taxation of invalidity benefit ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Scott : We have given details of invalidity benefit for next year in the reply of 12 November to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, West (Mr. Jones). The question of taxation is a matter for my hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Income Support
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were in receipt of income support in Pendle for each year since 1987.
Mr. Burt : The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 12 November 1992.
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many people were in receipt of Income Support in Pendle for each year since 1987.
The complete range of information is not available except at a disproportionate cost. This is because statistics of a local nature are destroyed at regular intervals in accordance with standing instructions and the information which is available provides only a snapshot rather than the number of customers in a given period. I have listed below the information which is available. The figures quoted are from offices in Burnley and Rossendale which make up the Agency's Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale District. The District boundaries do not, however, correspond with those of the Pendle constituency and it is not possible to break these figures down further. The figures have been supplied by the Income Support Management Information System.
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Current Income Support
Claims (year ending)
|Numbers
----------------------------
August 1989 |18,679
August 1990 |19,158
August 1991 |20,888
August 1992 |22,654
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
Benefits Agency
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to raise morale in the Benefits Agency.
Mr. Burt : The question of morale in the Benefits Agency is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 12 November 1992 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security concerning morale in the Benefits Agency.
I am sure you will know that one of the Benefits Agency's core values is "caring for staff" and, earlier this year, in order to give new meaning to this, we published our Staff Charter. This sets out in detail what staff have a right to expect of the Agency, and we are committed to producing an Action Update twice a year so that staff can see what progress is being made.
In producing the first Summer 1992 Action Update recently to all our staff we noted that there are perhaps three major areas in which we have been able to make progress in the first half of this year--the involvement of our staff, equal opportunities, and a new staff appraisal system.
The Benefits Agency Management Team has particularly welcomed the increased involvement of staff through the use of a half hour set aside in very many Districts for staff discussions, and through other imaginative ways in which staff participation is encouraged. We have provided an additional £1m to support the introduction of our new equal opportunities package --that package (and the money) are evidence of our determination to make progress on this front. We have also introduced a new and, we believe, a much better personal appraisal system throughout the Agency.
In some areas progress has not been as rapid as we would have wished. We are well aware of the fact that staff are expecting much more of us by way of development and training opportunities, and we will be paying particularly close attention to this in the second half of the year. But whether it be in the major areas mentioned above, or in the relatively minor developments such as the start of long service awards and the continued health screening programme, we remain fully committed to supporting, valuing and involving our staff, whatever their grade.
During the spring of 1992 a Staff Attitudes Survey was conducted throughout the Department of Social Security and its executive agencies. 4,694 questionnaires were completed and returned by Benefits Agency staff spread across a representative sample of grade levels and areas of work. The final results of the survey have only very recently been passed to agencies by the Institute of Manpower Studies (IMS), and we are in the process of analysing them to decide what action needs to be taken. At this early stage of our analysis it is nevertheless worth noting from the overall summary provided to us by the IMS that staff were reasonably satisfied with some
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aspects of work. Job security was a source of satisfaction, along with a friendly working atmosphere, flexible hours and an approachable line manager. We will be considering further those areas where less satisfaction was expressed--such as promotion opportunities and opportunities for training and development.I would be the first to admit that we have a lot to do to help improve the morale of our staff, but the evidence received so far suggests that our staff do appreciate what we are trying to do for them. All our units, including Districts, Benefits Directorates and Central Services, will be carrying out their own staff perception surveys as part of their own commitment to caring for their staff. I can assure you that this has equal importance within the Agency with our other core values of customer service, value for money, and bias for action.
I hope you will find this report helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
Social Fund
Ms. Estelle Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people from the Birmingham, Yardley constituency, in the last two years for which figures are available, appealed against a Benefits Agency decision not to award a social fund grant ; and how many appeals were upheld ;
(2) how many people from the Birmingham, Yardley constituency have been refused social fund payments in the last two years for which figures are available.
Mr. Scott : The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. Michael Bichard to Ms. Estelle Morris, dated 12 November 1992 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Social Fund appeals and refusals in the Birmingham, Yardley constituency. Applicants who are not satisfied with the Social Fund Officer's decision can apply to have the decision reviewed ; there is no right of appeal against Social Fund community care grant (CCG) decisions. Decisions are firstly reviewed within the local office and, if the applicant is still dissatisfied with the decision, by a Social Fund Inspector who is independent of the Department.
The attached annex gives the number of requests for review against Social Fund CCG decisions and also the number of CCG decisions that were changed, firstly at District level and secondly, by the Social Fund Inspectors. Decisions changed at District level, if not changed wholly in the applicant's favour, may also have been changed by the Social Fund Inspector.
Details are held by Benefits Agency District, the boundaries of which are not coterminous with Parliamentary constituencies. I have therefore provided figures for the Districts of Birmingham Chamberlain, Birmingham Heartlands and Birmingham South East, each of which deals with some part of your constituency.
Figures for CCG refusals are given for the years 1990-91 and 1991-92. The information is collated according to the number of applications rather than the number of applicants.
Figures on social fund refusals by district are in the Library. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
Column 999
Social Fund Community Care Grant Review-1990-91, 1991-92
|Birmingham |Birmingham |Birmingham South
|Chamberlain |Heartlands |East
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91
Number of review applications |551 |496 |288
Revised in District |227 |188 |101
Revised by SF Inspector |33 |31 |18
1991-92
Number of review applications |997 |1,103 |490
Revised in District |340 |273 |139
Revised by SF Inspector |53 |38 |17
Benefits
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about the delay in processing the benefits claim of the claimant about which the hon. Member for Woolwich wrote to the Minister of State on 18 September, national insurance number YP205065D.
Mr. Scott : The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief-executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library. Letter from Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. John Austin-Walker, dated 12 November 1992.
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the delay in processing the claim for your constituent, National Insurance Number YP 205065 D.
I should explain that we asked your constituent's representative for a signed request for review for the Community Care Grant to which you refer, and are unable to arrange a review until this is received. I am sorry that your constituent's Income Support claim was not handled as efficiently as it should have been, and offer my sincere apologies for this. I replied on 10 November to your letter of 18 September to the Minister of State for Social Security and Disabled People and this explains the position in greater detail.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Drugs
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantities of drugs destined for Northern Ireland have been seized by customs officers in each of the last five years.
Sir John Cope : The following show the figures of drugs seized in Northern Ireland :
Fiscal year ended March (kilos)
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------------
Cannabis |30.254|0.283 |0.667 |0.121 |1.207
Cocaine |0.010 |- |- |- |5.152
Note : Figures do not include LSD or amphetamine, seizures of which were negligible during the period. There were no seizures of heroin.
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However there is no reliable information on areas of intended final destination.EC Budget
Mr. Milligan : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the United Kingdom net budget contribution to the EC of the accession of Sweden, Finland and Austria to the European Community.
Sir John Cope : Preliminary forecasts suggest that each country is likely to be a net contributor to the EC budget upon accession. If this were to be the case, their accession would tend to reduce the United Kingdom's net contribution to the EC budget.
Matrix Churchill
Mr. Soley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations were held by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise about (a) the prosecution of Matrix Churchill and (b) the withdrawal of the prosecution.
Sir John Cope : The commissioners of Customs and Excise, in the exercise of their independent prosecuting authority took the decision to initiate criminal proceedings in the Matrix Churchill case following advice of counsel on the sufficiency of evidence. They subsequently agreed with the conclusion of prosecuting counsel, following the evidence given by Mr. Alan Clark, that it would be wrong to continue with the prosecution. Ministers were informed of developments at various stages of the case.
Pay Review Bodies
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future work of the pay review bodies.
Mr. Lamont : As I announced yesterday in the autumn statement, public sector pay settlements in the coming year will be restricted to between 0-1 per cent. to keep the growth in public sector pay bills as low as possible. This policy will apply to the whole of the public sector and related bodies, including those groups whose pay is settled by reference to the recommendations of a review body. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has written to each of the review body chairmen and asked all except the School Teachers' Review Body (because of its statutory basis) not to recommend basic pay increases for 1993. However, the review bodies have been invited to continue their important work on performance pay and other specific issues as appropriate to their remit groups.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has also written to the chairman of the School Teachers' Review
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